mistuning
|mis/tu/ning|
🇺🇸
/mɪsˈtjunɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/mɪsˈtjuːnɪŋ/
(mistune)
set wrong pitch / make out of tune
Etymology
'mistuning' originates from English, specifically from the verb 'mistune' formed by the prefix 'mis-' and the root 'tune'. 'mis-' meant 'wrong' or 'badly' (from Old English/Proto-Germanic), and 'tune' ultimately relates to Old French 'ton' / Latin 'tonus' meaning 'tone'.
'mistuning' changed from Middle English verb forms such as 'mistunen' (to tune wrongly) and later developed into the modern English verb 'mistune' and the noun 'mistuning'.
Initially, it meant 'to tune wrongly' (the action). Over time it also came to mean the resulting state or condition — 'the condition of being out of tune' — which is the common modern noun sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or result of tuning something incorrectly; a state in which an instrument or system is not in proper tune or pitch.
The mistuning of the piano was obvious during the concert.
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Antonyms
Verb 1
present participle of 'mistune': the action of causing something to be out of tune or incorrectly adjusted (used for ongoing or continuous action).
By mistuning the instrument, they introduced a subtle dissonance to the ensemble.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/01 18:37